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Lunenburg girls wrap up unbeaten season

By Matt Stewart, Correspondent

Updated:
05/19/2012 06:31:43 AM EDT

LUNENBURG -- "Dominant" has the best way to describe the Lunenburg girls' track team over the past two decades.

Dating back to 1990, the Blue Knights' only dual meet loss came in a non-league contest against Nashoba Regional many years ago. On Friday, the Blue Knights extended their incredible league dual meet winning streak to 116 in a row by concluding their season perfect at 6-0 and locking up the outright Mid-Wach C track title with a 105-40 victory over Oakmont Regional and a 124-20 victory over Clinton at Lunenburg High School.

The Lunenburg boys finished up their league slate with a 98-47 victory over Clinton. Due to a scoring error in Thursday's class championship Meet, the officials credited the Lunenburg boys with an extra point, and instead of a winning the league title by one point, both Lunenburg and Bromfield finished tied for the championship with 145 points.

"It just carries over from last year," Lunenburg girl's head coach Steve Kyajohnian said. "We've got a lot of the same kids. You try to get kids in where your weaknesses are, and those kids have been able to step up. The winning streak is a tribute to the kids and getting them to come out, believing in the program, and the kids wanting to keep the streak going.

"None of them want to be a part of it if it goes down. They work hard to keep it going.

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It was kind of mellow today, everyone was beat up from the last two days (at the championship meet). Oakmont kept a couple kids home and I had a couple of kids out."

One might expect the Lunenburg legs to be a little tired after three straight days of competing in meets, but surprisingly the Blue Knights had three athletes post personal records in Friday.

Junior Heidi Giancola ran to a career best in the 100-meter dash (13.3 seconds), which earned her first in both meets. Junior Alyssa Wyson finished first against Clinton with a personal best in the shot put (28 feet, 4 inches) and also took first place in the discus (76-11), while freshman javelin thrower Casey Collette threw a career best 86 feet, 7 inches.

Lunenburg's top two distance runners had a strong day, as Lehigh University-bound Jen Markham won the mile (5:33) and Brooke Hansel won the 2-mile (12:44). Hansel also beat Clinton in the 800 (2:39.7). Brogan Ulf captured first in the high jump (4-10) and the 400 hurdles (75.0) against the Gaels; Sophia Holman won the 100 hurdles (16.9); Shaunna Lizek took top honors in the triple jump (31-10); and Sydney Sanford won the 400 dash (63.3).

Other first-place performances were turned in by the 4x100 relay (53.7); Marissa Vasquez in the pole vault (8 feet); Whitney Mansfield in the 200 dash (28.2); and the mile relay (4:25.6).

Rachel Quaye had a strong day for Oakmont (3-3, 3-3 Mid-Wach C) as she won the shot put (29-8) and javelin (102-6). Julia Rembetsy-Brown was another-double winner, securing the long jump (16-1.5) and 200 dash (27.1). Shannon Leahy won the pole vault (8-6), and Courtney Torres won the 800 (2:37.9).

"Leahy tied a personal best," Oakmont head coach Katie Miville said. "Most of these girls have been out here three days in a row and are still competing at a high level. Leahy is happy with her pole vaulting and she is hoping to move up to nine feet, and hopefully by Tuesday we can get her up to there."

The Lunenburg boys (4-2, 4-2 Mid-Wach C) put the finishing touches on their season. The Blue Knights featured two double-winners. Senior Ben Reif concluded the dual meet season in stride by winning the shot put (38-4) and the discus (109-2). David Albertini was the second double-winner as he collected the high jump (5-4) and the 800 (2:12). Lunenburg took all three throwing events as Greg Abare won the javelin (135-8).

Andrew Keir secured the 2-mile (12:37); David Knutson owned the 100 hurdles (16.8); and Harrison Arciprete won the 100 dash (11.9). Keith Learnard won the 400 hurdles (64.9); Jake DeGrace secured the 400 dash (62.0); and the 4x100 relay (54.6) and the 4x400 relay (4:00.7) teams took top honors.

"We have some great seniors leaders on this team, with Harrison Arciprete, David Knutson and Ben Reif," Lunenburg boys' head coach Bob Truax said. "We can't replace them. They are just great program kids. They are definitely role models for the underclassmen.

"They are the types of kids that, if I were to tell my son who I would want him to grow up to be, it would be those three kids."

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